Stone troughs are massive and look naturally beautiful in the garden. If there are also colorful flowers or other green things in it, the design element is perfect. Below you will find out what you need to consider when planting your stone trough and how to proceed step by step. You will also receive ideas for design and plant selection.
How do I plant a stone trough correctly?
To plant a stone trough, first ensure good drainage, fill it with a mixture of garden soil and compost, and choose plants that thrive in flower pots. A cover of mulch or pebbles prevents weeds and moisture loss.
Good drainage is important
If your stone trough is to be placed in the open air, you must ensure that there is sufficient drainage. The trough should have several drainage holes in the bottom. If it doesn't, you should drill them in or cover your stone trough. Because if it rains uncontrollably on your planted stone trough, it will become waterlogged and almost no plant can tolerate it.
Planting stone trough without drainage
If you don't have a stone drill (€17.00 on Amazon) at hand or don't want to drill holes in the ground for another reason, there is still an alternative way to plant your stone trough: make one small pond from it! Proceed as follows:
- Use stones and flower pots to create different levels and reduce the volume. If you want to install a fountain or waterfall, now is the time to install it.
- Place various aquatic plants on the floors using plant baskets and weigh them down with stones.
- Fill your stone trough with water and add floating plants and decorative elements.
Planting the stone trough step by step
1. Drainage layer
Cover the water drains with upwardly curved potsherds or drainage fleece so that they cannot become clogged. Then fill about 5cm of granules or expanded clay into your stone trough as the bottom layer. This layer serves as a drainage layer.
2. Fill the stone trough with soil and plant it
Fill the stone trough about three quarters full with good garden soil and then spread the plants around before filling in the remaining soil. If you want to grow vegetables in a stone trough, you should mix some compost into the soil.
3. Cover surface
You can then cover the soil with mulch, straw or pebbles. This not only looks pretty, but also prevents weeds and moisture loss.
Ideas for planting the stone trough
In principle, you can plant any plants that would thrive in a large flower pot in the stone trough. Here are a few ideas:
- colorful flower bed in a stone trough
- Vegetable garden in a stone trough
- Herb garden
- Succulent landscape
- grass landscape
- Climbing and trailing plants that guide you upwards or let you hang over the edge
